Resource Simple Questions, Simple Answers Thread

Has Oblivious carved out a niche for Life Orb Mamoswine now, or is Thick Fat still superior? (I realize this is case-by-case and team dependent, but I am asking in a general sense).
 

Red Raven

I COULD BE BANNED!
I have ran specs keldeo on rain and it can Ko Clef, 2ko phy def pex and almost Ko rilaboom. Do you think its viable and would you use it Finch. I know this is not gen5 but it works for me.
Specs Keldeo is actually a huge pain. It's a rare sight so it is barely accounted for when teambuilding. It can also turn its bulky water counters into momentum via flip turn. With or without rain Keldeo is still a threat and on rain, it's an even more annoying thing to deal with. But as Finch said, it faces incredible competition but personally, I would pair it with the barracuda since neither Keldeo nor the barracuda is that reliant in rain
 
Oblivious is ok on lead Mamoswine, but otherwise Thick Fat is the way to go.
And this isn’t a lead-centric metagame (choosing the right Urshifu for your team would be a LOT harder if that were the case, as surging strikes ignores focus sash, which is a very important item in lead meta), so having a dedicated lead isn’t really important. Stick with Thick Fat unless your team is weak to intimidate or something idk
Edit: accidentally quoted someone else from a post from earlier I scrapped, sorry about that
 

Finchinator

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And this isn’t a lead-centric metagame (choosing the right Urshifu for your team would be a LOT harder if that were the case, as surging strikes ignores focus sash, which is a very important item in lead meta), so having a dedicated lead isn’t really important. Stick with Thick Fat unless your team is weak to intimidate or something idk
It's not, but hyper offensive teams almost always run some type of lead that works out in most match-ups to get up SR or screens and set tempo. Mamoswine is not the most common option, but it is a viable one due to Endeavor and Oblivious.
 
What are some good wallbreakers which pair well with sand rush excadrill to help it sweep late game?
Also, which is the best ttar set currently to support the excadrill?
Thanks in advance!
 

Finchinator

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What are some good wallbreakers which pair well with sand rush excadrill to help it sweep late game?
Also, which is the best ttar set currently to support the excadrill?
Thanks in advance!
Excadrill loves Corvi, Zap, Mandi, Buzzwole, etc. chipped or taken out, so it tends to do well with lures like Mixed Chomp or overwhelming breakers like Dracozolt even, which also enjoys Sand.

Standard SDef SR utility Tyranitar suits these builds best usually. Has stayed the same since DLC1 mostly
 
Are there any OU analysis updates in the works currently? A couple of mons could use them (Ex: Screens Koko, EQ on Glowking, Protect on defensive Lando/Chomp, etc)
 

AM

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What is the definition of a stall team?

Where is the line drawn between stall and bulky offense?
A team that prioritizes the defensive synergy and the use of passive damage to wear down a team. Not really anything defined per say but the result is usually a culmination of fat mons and or cores that are theoretically hard to break without specific mons.

A visual:
1609899300039.png

Top team typical sand but would normally be under the umbrella of bulky offense since it's a bulkier build that can still apply some sort of offensive pressure where necessary. Second team would be more in line with stall since it's focused on defensive synergy between gking,pex,corvi,blissey with mew and ditto patch up holes (hypothetically speaking I'm waiting on Ursh verdict before I even bother testing).

Definitions are pretty loose so I wouldnt get a headache over them but usually teams are kind of defined based on what mons/cores and or offensive/defensive synergy is between them.
 

Red Raven

I COULD BE BANNED!
What is the most common ev spread that is seen on Toxapex? Is it just max hp max def or spd or is there a custom one?
 

Katy

Banned deucer.
What is the most common ev spread that is seen on Toxapex? Is it just max hp max def or spd or is there a custom one?
Toxapex runs 252 HP and 144 Def and 112 SpDef, as it checks Urshifu-S currently with its Rocky Helmet Set, alternatively Black Sludge is an option to grant it more longevity. But mixed defensive Toxapex is the set it currently runs, as it checks Urshifu-S, Urshifu-R, Barraskewda, Volcarona, Hawlucha, and Magearna. So mixed defensive Toxapex is what it runs currently, however the nature is Bold and its attacks are Scald, Recover, Haze, and the last slot could be either Toxic, Knock Off, or Toxic Spikes.
Toxapex was heavily invested in phsyically defense with 252 HP and 252 Def and 4 in its SpDef, which can still work, but the above Ev Spread gives it a merit to handle also Setup Magearna, and Volcarona.

hope that helped :)
 

Goodbye & Thanks

Thrown in a fire?
A team that prioritizes the defensive synergy and the use of passive damage to wear down a team. Not really anything defined per say but the result is usually a culmination of fat mons and or cores that are theoretically hard to break without specific mons.

A visual:
View attachment 305507

Top team typical sand but would normally be under the umbrella of bulky offense since it's a bulkier build that can still apply some sort of offensive pressure where necessary. Second team would be more in line with stall since it's focused on defensive synergy between gking,pex,corvi,blissey with mew and ditto patch up holes (hypothetically speaking I'm waiting on Ursh verdict before I even bother testing).

Definitions are pretty loose so I wouldnt get a headache over them but usually teams are kind of defined based on what mons/cores and or offensive/defensive synergy is between them.
I get that there aren't really official definitions for these things, but could anyone please help me distinguish between bulky offense and balance teams? I was under the impression that bulky offense teams relied on either switching to one of their offensive options that resists an attack (like bringing in a Rillaboom on an Earthquake) or using one or two defensive pivots that can grab momentum, like Corviknight, Slowbro, Blissey, etc., for their defensive options. I always kind of thought that bulky offense wouldn't have stuff like Clef (without Teleport), Pex, or Ferro on it because those Pokemon are more momentum drains, and that this was a big thing that differentiated it from balance, but I've seen the term used for so many different teams that I don't feel like I have a good hold of what a bulky offense team actually is.
 

AM

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I get that there aren't really official definitions for these things, but could anyone please help me distinguish between bulky offense and balance teams? I was under the impression that bulky offense teams relied on either switching to one of their offensive options that resists an attack (like bringing in a Rillaboom on an Earthquake) or using one or two defensive pivots that can grab momentum, like Corviknight, Slowbro, Blissey, etc., for their defensive options. I always kind of thought that bulky offense wouldn't have stuff like Clef (without Teleport), Pex, or Ferro on it because those Pokemon are more momentum drains, and that this was a big thing that differentiated it from balance, but I've seen the term used for so many different teams that I don't feel like I have a good hold of what a bulky offense team actually is.
First team in your signature would be more balance, second would be more bulky offense. Easiest example I can give you since it's right there.
 

Zneon

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What's the most standard rain team in the current meta? (Apart from PhysDef Pelipper, Banded Barraskewda and Specs Kingdra)
To add to the answer above, I would say the most common Pokemon you will see on rain outside of Pelipper and Barraskewda (kingdra has competition for a spot on rain) are these Pokemon:


Zapdos has both Thunder, Weather Ball and Hurricane and resistance to Grass, so its already going to be a great member of rain teams just for that reason while also still being a very strong Pokemon, its ability to bop bulky waters like Toxapex and Slowbro as well as ones like Amoonguss is very valuable to rain teams, for that reason Zapdos is probably the best bird on rain teams.


Ferrothorn has so many great traits that make it, in my opinion a staple on rain. Its resistance to Electric and Grass and its access to hazards, especially Spikes. This is huge for rain teams as Pokemon like Urshifu-RS, Zapdos, NP Tornadus-T are supported significantly by Ferrothorn's hazards, its a pretty straightforward Pokemon but its a staple on rain nonetheless.


Urshifu-RS is very good on rain. Surging Strikes is not that easy to wall, especially when you factor rain in the equation, and combined with other support like Spikes or checks like Slowbro and Toxapex being taken care of, this Pokemon can do tons of work.


NP Tornadus-T is very good on rain mainly because of Hurricane's accuracy increase, and that's not an easy Pokemon to wall, and the Pokemon that do take Hurricane well don't take its other moves well. Weather Ball and Focus Blast can take care of stuff like opposing Ferrothorn, Heatran and Melmetal.

Hope this helped! :blobthumbsup:
 
How good is thunder wave/calm mind clefable these days and what are standard partners? Anything as easy to use a mega loponny for bulky offence or balance?

I'm looking at playing Pokemon again but hate knock off and miss my megas. Would appreciate some answer's if that's possible.
 

Katy

Banned deucer.
How good is thunder wave/calm mind clefable these days and what are standard partners? Anything as easy to use a mega loponny for bulky offence or balance?

I'm looking at playing Pokemon again but hate knock off and miss my megas. Would appreciate some answer's if that's possible.
Thunder Wave Clefable is amazing to support teampartners with slowing down the opposing team. Calm Mind could pick up in usage too again after Urshifu-S got banned, as Clefable has not to relay entirely on being full phys def to check Urshifu-S.

Thunder Wave Clefable works well with bulky setup sweepers like Nasty Plot Tornadus-Therian, Swords Dance Rillaboom, or even the ever dangerous Calm Mind, Substitute, Will o Wisp, Hex Spectrier, as Thunder Wave hits, what Spectrier can't with Wisp, mainly Heatran and Volcarona 2 great Fire-types in the OU Tier.

Calm Mind Clefable can run a bulky spread with Flamethrower in its arsenal to overcome bulky steels such as Magearna, Ferrothorn, and allthough less common Celesteela.

Knock Off however is very prevelant as knocking off the prominent and popular item Heavy-Duty Boots is a necessity pretty much. There is not much which can absorb a Knock Off entirely as Megas and Z Moves which where attached to the Pokemon entirely isnt around anymore. However, Sticky Hold Gastrodon can absorb Knock Off in a way that the Knock Off-Damage still stands but the item can't get removed, but keep in mind it still takes the full damage from Knock Off.
Other Pokemon, which can absorb a Knock Off are Clefable, Magearna, Toxapex, as they almost take no damage, but they still lose the item in that process, which they dislike.
Knock Off is really prevelant and a lot of teams have at least 1 Knock Off-user such as their own Clefable, Toxapex, Rillaboom, Landorus-T, Tornadus-T or Ferrothorn.

Hope that helped.
 
Thunder Wave Clefable is amazing to support teampartners with slowing down the opposing team. Calm Mind could pick up in usage too again after Urshifu-S got banned, as Clefable has not to relay entirely on being full phys def to check Urshifu-S.

Thunder Wave Clefable works well with bulky setup sweepers like Nasty Plot Tornadus-Therian, Swords Dance Rillaboom, or even the ever dangerous Calm Mind, Substitute, Will o Wisp, Hex Spectrier, as Thunder Wave hits, what Spectrier can't with Wisp, mainly Heatran and Volcarona 2 great Fire-types in the OU Tier.

Calm Mind Clefable can run a bulky spread with Flamethrower in its arsenal to overcome bulky steels such as Magearna, Ferrothorn, and allthough less common Celesteela.

Knock Off however is very prevelant as knocking off the prominent and popular item Heavy-Duty Boots is a necessity pretty much. There is not much which can absorb a Knock Off entirely as Megas and Z Moves which where attached to the Pokemon entirely isnt around anymore. However, Sticky Hold Gastrodon can absorb Knock Off in a way that the Knock Off-Damage still stands but the item can't get removed, but keep in mind it still takes the full damage from Knock Off.
Other Pokemon, which can absorb a Knock Off are Clefable, Magearna, Toxapex, as they almost take no damage, but they still lose the item in that process, which they dislike.
Knock Off is really prevelant and a lot of teams have at least 1 Knock Off-user such as their own Clefable, Toxapex, Rillaboom, Landorus-T, Tornadus-T or Ferrothorn.

Hope that helped.
I'll have to look into spectrier. Duel status teams with a good set up mon or two was always a thing i enjoyed and if i get to troll people with clef all the better. Throw in some priority and I'm golden.

Sad about knock off tho but I'll adapt, maybe they'll bring back megas in future dlc but that's a maybe.

Thanks for your help again. Its appreciated. Any must haves for team building or anything you mist take into account atm aside from the obvious hazards, knock off and cinderance?
 

Katy

Banned deucer.
I'll have to look into spectrier. Duel status teams with a good set up mon or two was always a thing i enjoyed and if i get to troll people with clef all the better. Throw in some priority and I'm golden.

Sad about knock off tho but I'll adapt, maybe they'll bring back megas in future dlc but that's a maybe.

Thanks for your help again. Its appreciated. Any must haves for team building or anything you mist take into account atm aside from the obvious hazards, knock off and cinderance?
Must haves are a checks to opposing Spectrier as Spectrier is really relevant right now and with the recent Ban of Urshifu-S it lost an offensive Check to it, so it can become even better. So Dark-types such as Mandibuzz with Knock Off, Roost, Foul Play, U-Turn / Defog or Hydreigon with Roost and Dark Pulse are really relevant right now. Blissey can help with Spectrier too, but the issue is, when Spectrier runs Calm Mind Blissey even with Shadow Ball in its movepool can't overcome Spectrier and it will result into a PP war at maximum as it become a stalemate situation.
Another Dark-type which can handle Spectrier to a degree is G-Moltres, however it lacks Roost, so it is not as consistent as the above mentioned Mandibuzz or Hydreigon.

Cinderace has its checks in Slowbro, Toxapex, and depending on the set also Heatran, as High Jump Kick-less Cinderace has trouble getting through Heatran, but scouting for the set is necessary, protect on heatran will help in this case and also punishes a HJK-variant of Cinderace. Landorus-T and bulky Swampert can also deal with Cinderace and threaten it back with strong STAB moves.

Other must have for Teambuilding are a Ground-immune Pokemon, as with plenty of different Ground-types roaming around you need a Pokemon which can help with pivoting into their STABs. A Steel-type is also a must and can help with the relevant Fairy-types in the tier. An electric-immune Pokemon is also a high consideration on teams. Volt-Turn Cores are really good right now such as Choice Specs Magearna combined with Cinderace or Rillaboom, as they can threaten each others checks or in Rillabooms case it can help Magearna with lowering the damage from Ground-type attacks due to Grassy Terrain and grants it some recovery.

These are the most important points in Teambuilding currently in my opinion. Hope this helped :)
 
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